The time has come to look at coilovers for Ferris. I've been running on H&R lowering springs for a few months now just to see if I liked the look and stance with the intention of upgrading at some point.

My problem is that there are a good many choices out there ranging from pretty cheap to quite expensive. Don't get me wrong I'm we have choices, i just want a little advice on what I should be getting.

My problem with the lowering springs is the lack of adjustability and comfort. I realize I could just buy a new set of struts but after all is said and done I would've spent close to the the same amount of time and money for something that is still not adjustable. I'm not looking to slam the car and value function more than looks. I've done one weekend long track event and hope to do a few more in the future as well as get into autocross at some point. Money and time are the biggest constraints at the moment.

So far from the searching I've done it looks like my choices are between the Megan, M7, or one of Texas Speedwerks KW variants. I have zero experience with any of these so I'm asking the suspension guru's for help here. The price and functionality of each "seem" right but there are always things a noob misses (reliability, cost of ownership, options, etc.).

Thanks in advance for the opinions/help.

 

You haven't listed H&R in your choices so maybe I'm sharing this for nothing but I got them and I'm very satisfied (under 1000$ at TireRack).

You can read more in that thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rt-please.html
My post:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...96-post23.html

Cheers,
Dan

 

I don't know if it helps but I run KW V1's. I would buy another set in a heartbeat.
Adjustability is excellent ride is better than stock suspension and the lowering springs I tried before these.
The only thing I would add is an integrated camber plate but they are not critical for the questions you have asked.

 

dranger003,
I honestly hadn't even considered these. For some reason I thought that H&R only made springs. Looking at Alta's site it seems like the SS coils are not damper adjustable but the RSS's are. I have to wonder how much firmer the RSS's are compared. I'll have to read through those threads some more.

daemon2,
Well I would like to have the camber plates as it gives adjustability to the suspension that isn't currently there. But they are not critical and can be bought separate. The V1's have an attractive price but I'd like to have the ability to adjust the dampening as well as the height. I'm trying to get a little more comfort on the daily drive to work while still being able to stiffen things up for the track.

 

I have the H&R RSS. They come in two models the "Sport" with sport stiffness and the "RSS" with stiffer stiffness. I like them as you can adjust them to any height and you have the full suspension of the spring to work with. I also track mine on occasion. Mine were around $1,300 from Alta and about $380 to have them installed with an alignment.

 

I originally had KW V3s and happily replaced them with some BC coilovers from Wyvern Motorsports. Unlike the KWs, the BCs also come with camber plates. As an added bonus, the camber plates also voids the need of having strut tower defenders. I use my car as a daily driver and have zero complaints. For $1K, it's really hard to beat these and many guys with r53s also rave about them on the other side of the forum. In addition, since they are complete units that include its own strut hats, it is twice as easy to install versus other coilovers that require a spring compressor. Good luck on your decision.

Also forgot to mention that the "preload" never changes regardless of how you set your suspension height.



Once you set the "preload," it's the same for the front and rear.


You also get a lot of adjustment front and rear...

 

I think the H&R's are out, I really want the damper adjustability for when I take Ferris to the track and for longer trips that need a softer suspension.

I've read up on the BC's and my biggest concern is that they are made in Taiwan, actually the Megan's are out now as well since BC actually makes their shock bodies. I've heard iffy things about the QC and longevity of these types of coilovers. I'm putting anybody down that has them and I'm sure there are a lot of very happy owners, it's just a concern that I have.

I have been prompted to save up and just get a set of the Cross's. Other than the standard "Cross is the best" line I don't understand what makes them so much better. Is it the build quality, the way the damper works, etc?

So at this point I'm looking at the Cross, M7, or KW.

 

Nothing will be as comfortable as the oem. I have M7 which are very adjustable and I set them to zero / zero for around town. (zero lowest with 15 highest). For track or crusing back roads, higher. The benefit is (with M7) a very quick adjustment. Don't get me wrong, I like the ride, but it is not as comfortable as oem. If it was, it would not be much of a performance upgrade.

 

I realize nothing is as comfortable as factory, well not and still have some kind of performance at least. What I'm looking for is less bounce and greater adjustability, neither of which it seems I can get from springs alone. It's possible I could get this from a set of springs and adjustable struts but if I have to take everything off again anyway I might as well spend the money and do it right.

I like the placement of the **** on the M7's, they do seem to be thinking about the user with this little innovation but I can't really see how much more difficult it is with the other units. At most a hole would have to be drilled in the rear wheel well and an extension placed on top of the coilover. This I can live with.

I don't want to end the discussion in case there is something better suited out there that I just haven't seen or heard about but I think at this point I'm going to save up for a set of Crosses and just be done with it.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

We use the Cross on our Demo car and they are fantastic. Since your in Greenville your more than welcome to come down and take a ride, and we can install them for you too.

 

I dont know what i want either, 2500 dollars is so much money to spend on one thing, i could get the h&r rss coilovers and say screw the comfort, i didnt buy this car for the comfort. If ppl dont like it they can find another ride

But anyway, i could get coilovers and a tbe for that much money!

 

The coilover for me would be the one with the most travel and the best valving. That's it. Number of adjustment clicks, camber plates, dual height adjustable....don't really care too much.

Camber plates are nice, but aren't needed for everyone and can be added if they really are needed.

But it's tough to fix crappy valving and unfortunately it's something i feel the majority of coilovers out there give you.

And these cars are so travel limited that lowering the car becomes such a tradeoff. Yes it looks cool, but it's nice to be able to soak up mid-corner bumps at the track without throwing the car off the line (not to mention bumps on the crappy streets around here). This is where good valving and plenty of suspension travel come into play.

Also, damper adjustability is overrated. Definitely nice to have, but having a preset damper with good valving you can't change is better than having a damper with crappy valving and 32 clicks....of crappy valving.

The problem i see with dual height adjustable coilovers is that yes, you can lower the car without affecting preload or reducing bump travel....but generally these coilovers have so little bump travel to begin with anyway that it doesn't matter. So now you have mediocre bump travel at best, and little to no droop travel. This of course depends on the coilover, some are pretty good.



Just some thoughts from someone who has been in the suspension game for 5+ years now with a variety of cars. I've learned a lot from trial and error and two of things i've come away with are that suspension travel and good valving are the two most important things on a street/track coilover. Next up is aftersale tech support.


- Andrew

 

We've seen great results on a local track junkie's car on our R56 V2's... He's considerably quicker than he was prior - to the point that he's ended up installing a rear cage, seats, and harnesses. He's been flying around the track.

Roads are fairly smooth around Dallas, so the street ride isn't super harsh, either. It does provide considerable performance on the street, too.

Nice thing about the KW's is that they have excellent travel and valving... And, our support is 2nd to none if I do say so... Rebuilds can be done quickly by KW in CA and they can also change valving from our custom setup if you choose to go with different springs in the future.

 

Good to know...

I've always been happy with KW.

- Andrew

 

Do KW's with linear front springs mount up fine to stock or IE fixed front strut mounts for an R53?

- Andrew

 

I'm happy with my Vmaxx.

 

Yup. We ship them with a 60mm upper perch that would just go under the OEM or IE fixed setup...

 

sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

- andrew

 

Andrew, so what coilover kit do you recommend?

I've been in this same boat a while too, and narrowed it down to BC and KW/TXWerks...I like the bargain of the BC (read: price to options ratio), but have the same concerns of longevity. I've heard nothing but good things about the KW/TXWerks and may just go w/ the V1's.

TXWerks, what makes your coilovers different from the standard KW's? Custom valving & spring rates?

 

I would go for the KWs. Real engineering is better than one-size-fits-all "engineering." I know that Megan coilovers use the same exact damper for Subaru Legacy, Subaru Impreza WRX, Subaru STI, Mistubishi EVO, and who knows what else. Literally the same exact damper cartridge....you could unscrew one off an EVO and put it in a Subaru Legacy. That's not a good thing. BC makes Megan coilovers.

I've also seen the dyno plots of their valving, and it's not very good. Or consistent. Their spring quality also sucks.

That's harsh, i know....and the truth is BCs are still better than a lot of other super cheap stuff out there (K Sport, D2, etc. which are downright terrible) but still....i think for most people KWs are a better choice unless you just want to slam the car. With KW you get better valving, more travel, stainless steel construction, support from txwerks in this case, etc.

BCs and the cheap coilovers that pack a ton of "features" into a reeeeally low priced package are okay if you MUST have camber plates and stiff springs for as little money as possible, but just remember they make sacrifices to meet those price points. BCs can feel okay, and maybe even better than stock for some people....but not for me.

KW sacrifices camber plates and damper adjustments to get their V1s down to their price point....but not the valving. They still have the fundamentals for a GOOD damper and that's important...more important than the toppings.

KWs are a good solid coilover. Good valving, good travel, strong construction. Bilstein PSS9s are always a solid choice as well for a street/track coilover. I don't have any first hand experience with H&R. Koni of course is a standard, and anything based on their yellow shock with the right springs should be good. AST or Ohlins are of course great, but not cheap. AST is good if you want a built to your spec shock. JRZ would be my choice if i was building a time attack car or doing actual wheel to wheel racing. I generally don't like Japanese (or Chinese) shocks. Their suspension tuning philosophy doesn't jive with mine.

My opinion might not be popular one (don't ask me what i think of the ever popular JIC/Cross coilovers for other cars), but it's based on what i've seen, driven, and felt.

For a budget auto-x car, the BCs may be the way to go for some people. I personally would stay away.

- Andrew

 

Andrew, thanks for your insight and opinion. I'm possibly considering Koni coilovers against the KW V1's. Price seems close.

 

I liked my V1's, however, they are too soft for track and canyon use and etc. After a year they started leaking and I replaced them with BC's. These are a bit stiffer but make the car handle fantastic.

 

gee that's a first, I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about the cross's. Could you send me a PM describing your experience/opinions. Thanks

 

No problem....sometimes i rant. sorry if i offended anyone.

To be fair I haven't tried them on a Mini, just other cars.

- andrew

 

With the KWs you'd have to be careful not to go too low, an inch would be my limit. I'd probably stay at a couple millimeters from stock for an R53 and a little more for the R56).

Their rates are softer than BCs, but still plenty firm for track or street driving on street tires. With r-comps i'd go stiffer and if i wanted to be competitive at auto-x i'd go stiffer. I think (not sure) txwerks custom KWs might help here.

- andrew